K. Of K.

Northern Advocate, 15 September 1914, Page 5

K. Of K.

Lord Kitchener is one of those strong personalities about which those who have known him will argue themselves to a standstill, and never agree. Once having decided that a thing: is to be done, he sits clown to think out the shortest, straightest means, and then lets no difficulty or opposition, however influential, stand in his way for a moment. He will be almost brutally unpleasant, will override sentiment more roughly than perhaps any of his contemporaries. But it is significant that those who work closest to him are his most enthusiastic admirers. His aides-de-camp say that he is the most temperate of livers. He works with a staff whiqh is always small, silent, purely devoted to business. "Kitchener's men" succeed because of those qualities. Lord Kitchener himself is a fluent and interesting speaker on any of those subjects which have .been his life's work. But when it comes to making "pretty" speeches to hostesses or Mayors and aldermen, he is positively nervous. During these painful ordeals he will be noticed to shift uneasily from one foot to the other, clasp his hands nervously behind his back, dig the finger nails into the flesh until you would almost expect to see it bleed. On his famous tour through Australia he kept two speeches for the deputations at country stations —a short and a long speech. "I thank you Mr Mayor for your cordial welcome." That'was the long speech. The short one was: "I thank you."